Burkina Faso has halted the broadcasts of the BBC and Voice of America radio networks for two weeks after they transmitted a report alleging military attacks on civilians, according to officials.
Human Rights Watch, an international NGO, reported on Thursday that soldiers in the northern part of Burkina Faso, affected by jihadist activity, had killed no fewer than 223 villagers, including 56 children, in retaliatory attacks on February 25.
Late on Thursday, the communications authority (CSC) declared, “The broadcasts of these two international radio networks from Ouagadougou are suspended for a fortnight.”
The suspension was enacted because BBC Africa and VOA broadcasted and published on their digital platforms a report “accusing the Burkina army of committing abuses against civilians.”
The authority criticized the report for containing “premature and prejudiced statements without concrete evidence against the Burkinabe army.”
To date, Burkina Faso has not issued a statement regarding the report. The country has been grappling with a jihadist insurgency that began in neighboring Mali in 2015.
